As Lumière stared at the man whose face seemed enveloped in a fine, indescribable haze, his stomach churned. There seemed something wildly familiar about him, like there was a memory buried deep in the back of his mind that desperately tried to resurface. He kept his finger on Cerces’s trigger, ready to fire a bullet at any moment. However, there seemed something… unique about the situation. Like a bullet might not save him at all were this man to become aggressive.

Lumière was actively aware of this man’s facial features, thick curly brown hair and a calm gaze. His face was well-sculpted with fair skin, but at the same time, he couldn’t quite discern it, as if as soon as he recognised them, he forgot them just as fast.

This man… where did he know him from?

An enemy?

Then why not attack?

An ally?

Then why summon him without warning?

Lumière took a step forward, cautiously, yet still released his grasp on his pistol as he holstered it underneath his arm. He had found that memory buried within many others.

He stood and stared at the man for a moment before his eyes softened, approaching the table and sitting across from him.

“Mr. Demeter, why have you pulled me here?”

This man was the person who had given him the idea of becoming a magician almost seventeen years ago, that strange sense of wonder and intrigue that had furthered his desires and motivations. While he had now laid to rest that part of his life, it didn’t mean that this man was any less important.

“You don’t seem too surprised by this. Has that little boy once so full of passion already become desensitised to strange matters and terrifying occurrences?” Demeter leaned on his hand as a soft smile made its way onto his expression.

“Fairly so.”

He let out a curt laugh. “You were in danger. Wouldn’t you prefer a moment to think?”

“At what cost does this moment come at?”

“Nothing. This is kindness, Lumière Croft.”

“That seems a bit harder to accept than a price.”

“Sometimes, perhaps that is understandable. For now, shouldn’t you worry about how you’re going to get out of this situation?”

“I know how-“

“You don’t want to use ‘Despair’. You don’t want Ainsworth and the others to find out about your affiliations.”

Lumière’s calm expression twisted slightly. “No, you’re quite right.” He pressed his fingers together, sighing. ‘Of course a mysterious figure capable of pulling me into such a space would know about my life…’

‘Is this random performer also an important part of a greater plot? The Lord Sinner’s plan? Perhaps many parts of my life have always been arranged for his ‘goal’. Should I be angry about this, or is it far too out of my control to waste any emotions on? Well, I’ve been gifted with the ability to carry out my own plans, so maybe my own life isn’t too big of a price…’

“I’m part of no one’s plan.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Lumière’s eyebrow twitched. Of course, such a strange being should also have the capabilities to sense his thoughts. Life was already absurd, so what was one more strange thing on top of that? He felt that he had experienced far too many strange things to react to this entire event. After all, in that moment, he was only seconds away from death, yet he was able to have a full conversation with the man.

“Then I’m truly confused. If you were some affiliate of Lord Sinner, then it would explain how you know about my ‘affiliations’ and why you’ve been a part of my life up to this point. Now, it’s truly up to any possibility.”

“Who says I’ve been a part of your life? Isn’t this just an assumption? Perhaps we are just strangers who have met twice now before.”

“Are you saying there’s no reason for our meeting?”

Demeter shook his head. “I did not say that. But I also think you are far too obsessed with offering everything a ‘reason’. Sometimes things happen for no reason at all.”

“Coincidence?”

“A lack of fate, perhaps.”

“Can there be such a thing?”

“Fate is not so determinable that it is tied to so many things. Just most things.”

“Strange.”

“Life is.”

Lumière leaned back in his seat, pondering the matter that rested beside his sudden appearance in Demeter’s garden.

“What if I amplify my own fear in order to strengthen myself against the blow?”

“You are not afraid.”

“The fear of the Roses?”

“It might take too much time. Don’t you remember how you must feel all of those emotions at once? It might serve to cloud your judgment in the moment.”

“Can I kill it with my blade?”

“It’s currently crushing your skull in. It has the ability to renew its flesh. What could you do with your blade in the split instant it will take for you to die?”

“Then what can I do?”

“Lie.” As he spoke, Demeter raised his hand, glancing down at an iron-wrought flower-shaped pin that had appeared in his hand.

“Still as perfect as its first day.”

Noticing this, Lumière reached across the table, beckoning for the strange magician to give it back. “The woman I gave it to kept it carefully all these years.”

“Sad you couldn’t do the same for her.”

Lumière’s eyebrow twitched. “Did you invite me here just to antagonise me?”

Demeter shook his head. “No, it was a matter of necessity. You’ve overlooked a crucial detail. I’m only here to warn you, little Dreamer.”

“Warn me of what? What kind of crucial detail could I have possibly missed? Are you talking about White? Or maybe you’re talking about how my name is being passed around in the Nobility circles, making me a prime target for their ire. What if not that? The plan of Lord Sinner, or the history of his primordial sins? Is it related to the House of Cards, perhaps the Joker himself?”

“The Rememberers.”

“Artis Faulkner?”

“One of them, perhaps.” When Demeter began to speak of such a matter, his voice took an unusually cold tone. “But not her, someone else that you’ve already met.”

While Lumière had certainly pondered who in his life could possibly fulfill such an ancient, world-transcending role?

“Give me the answer, don’t play me a fool with riddles.”

Demeter shrugged. “Who’s to say? It could really be anyone, couldn’t it?”

“A price? What do you want?”

“I want a promise, little Dreamer.”

“A promise? That’s all? What do you want me to do?”

He smiled warmly once more, turning his hands over to show his palms. “It’s simple. When all of your lies fall apart, promise that you’ll seek the help of your uncle, Lewis Croft. He’s a good man, an honourable man. When there comes a time that you have no home at all, seek one in his demesne.”

‘You know-‘ Lumière hesitated in his own thoughts, sighing as he realised there was no purpose in his silent rumination. “You know my uncle, even when I myself don’t know his name? You have some prior connection or knowledge of him… I’d like to know that much. I didn’t even know I had an uncle until I met with my mother prior to her death.”

Speaking of such things, Lumière expected some sort of turmoiling emotion to rise up in his heart. Surprisingly, such a thing did not occur. It was like he had finally managed to kill off that part of himself that felt.

“And you said… ‘when’ my lies fall apart, ‘when’ a time comes that I have no home at all. What are you anticipating, Mr. Demeter?”

At some time that Lumière had not witnessed, the smile on Demeter’s face had transformed. It was… less warm, far less human. It seemed calculating, expectant, foreseeing…

“Focus less on your enemies, Lumière Croft. Focus more on yourself. There is no danger greater than the person closest to them, which is themselves. The person you overlooked was a little boy you met a great deal of tragedy ago, a boy named ‘Etta Aziz’. He’ll be a great shield to utilise in the coming events. Make contact with him as soon as possible.”

He raised his hand, snapping his fingers, the garden around them beginning to fade.

“For the obstacle ahead, you must simply do as you always have. Be a liar.”